How can one always encourage creativity, invention, and teamwork? Ideation and invention can be difficult, especially since our way of work has changed over the last few years. So, businesses constantly search for fresh approaches and strategies to motivate and strengthen their internal teams.
Hackathons - that's what can come in handy! This intensive problem-solving method, known as "coding sprints," originated in the technology industry in the 1990s and is spreading to other sectors to sharpen perspective, concentrate thinking, and pool brainpower.
Read on if you're wondering what hackathons are, how you can utilize them in your events business, and the benefits they offer.
What Do "Hackathons" Entail?
Hackathons are an effective means of fostering ongoing innovation and crowdsourcing solutions for pressing societal and business problems.
Typically a time-limited, competitive event, a hackathon brings together professionals from various industries to create proofs of concept and brainstorm new ideas or ways to innovate events.
Hackathons allow individuals from diverse sectors to collaborate and exchange knowledge and skills. Throughout the event, everyone learns from each other and works toward the same goal. It's a great way to encourage teams to collaborate, share expertise, and be creative.
How Should You Plan and Set Goals for a Hackathon Meeting?
American author Steven Johnson said creativity "comes not just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect."
You should design your hackathon events to gather information and ideas. Here is how:
- First, set aside time to properly establish your goals for holding the hackathon before selecting dates. To address the overarching “why,” draft specific goals like upgrading your event format or bringing in new production methods.
- Set a timeframe—1-2 days should meet your needs. Hackathons require limits to yield the best outcomes.
- Bring together people with diverse knowledge and experience for a successful hackathon team. This range of perspectives can be invaluable in examining different aspects of any event.
- Choose a theme or challenge that is broad enough to spark creativity but narrow enough to produce actionable results that you can build on later, depending on the hackathon’s length.
Incorporating Rapid Prototyping Strategies in Your Hackathon
Rapid prototyping within your hackathon allows you to test hypotheses, solicit feedback, refine and enhance your ideas to share with others. You can integrate such strategies as follows:
- Design a concise presentation to pitch your idea. Visual elements like videos or in-person demos work best to showcase feasibility.
- Digital platforms play a huge part in bringing hackathon ideas to reality quickly. Use them to start drafting concepts right away.
- Digital platforms play a huge part in bringing hackathon ideas to reality quickly. Use them to start drafting concepts right away.
Executing a quality hackathon under such tight time constraints can be tricky. Consider facilitating initial idea/pain point sharing sessions beforehand. Allowing participants access to datasets, case studies, and design templates drives creativity, too. Pat yourself on the back for organizing an insightful, productive hackathon meeting!
Mike Szczesny is the owner and vice president of EDCO Awards & Specialties, a dedicated supplier of employee recognition products, branded merchandise, and any glass trophy. Szczesny takes pride in EDCO's ability to help companies go the extra mile in expressing gratitude and appreciation to their employees. He resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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